Flower fairy finds us!

Yep.  Turns out, she only comes to The Most Festive Occasions, like Mother's Day.  Sprinkling petals on door mats, tables, and in salads. Picking posies for teeny tiny vases.  Scattering color on gifts hidden on chairs for moms at the gathering. All go in the compost pile tomorrow.

Hmmmmmm. Where else might the Flower Fairy find places to deposit bits of beauty? I know!

Loving this concept.  This is beginning to be fun.

Happy Mother's Day, dear friends.

Sensational, Stanford!

Have I lost my mind?  No response necessary.  I posted this much earlier in the week and today it didn't exist.  So here it is again.  

Update on Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 7:48AM by Lois

Check this out!  More info about opportunities at Stanford Shopping Center for kids.  Thanks, Judi!

Update on Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 7:50AM by Lois

And info on the upcoming event:  Dreams Happen.  Cannot wait to see Christian's playhouse!

Tour of talented artists, revisited

I know that I released this earlier but somehow it disappeared off the Squarespace Radar Screen.  So here it comes once again.  Personally, I don't think that I'll ever tire of experiencing this part of our country and the incredibly creative folks who live and work there.  

So sit back and relax.  Walk with me through the workshops and studios of numerous pottery shops nestled in the countryside of Seagrove, North Carolina.  Talk about talent.  And variety.  What an incredible range of personalities, styles, glazes, techniques.  And some darn good dogs to welcome us into each shop.  

Can't wait to go back.  Thanks, J and D.

Filoli at its finest

I will never ever miss this event again.  Ever.  Filoli's Flower Show.  Sumptuous surroundings, stunningly beautiful/creative/colorful combinations.  Such a soul- and flower-filled day.  We circled several times, always hoping to find another room we hadn't discovered on the previous pass.  Each time the subtle shifts in light created new photo possibilities.  A wonderful, fresh perspective.  There's still time to enjoy this event.  Check in with the Filoli web site for details.

Yes, thank you, AC.

Anderson Cooper closed his Tuesday show live at Ground Zero by saying he wanted the public to turn from Osama Bin Laden to the victims of 9/11.

Bin Laden coverage has been blanketing the news since his killing on Sunday, but Cooper said he hopes that will change soon, and that Bin Laden will be all but banished from the national discourse:

Someday, however, in the not too distant future, I hope we no longer give bin Laden the satisfaction of ever speaking his name or even remembering him in our nightmares. ...This man who terrorized so many for so long has simply disappeared. The ocean is a very big place and in the end, Osama bin Laden was a very small man. ...We cannot, nor should we ever forget the horror that he unleashed, but as the months and years pass, I hope that his name is hardly ever uttered and I hope his picture disappears, as well. As the years pass in the years ahead, I hope it's not the wasted life of this mass murderer we remember. I hope instead we recall the lives of those we lost.

Mother's Day @ Filoli

I can verify that they are totally sold out on the food front.  Next year, I'll look/book earlier.  Can't wait to see the gardens again as well as the flower show tomorrow.

From the Filoli site:

“Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn, hundreds of bees in the clover, hundreds of butterflies on the lawn, but only one Mother the whole world over.”  —George Cooper

“We are all abuzz at Filoli over this year’s Flower Show entitled “Hats Off To Mother Nature.” As preparations for the event are well underway and the Garden is bursting with blooms, now is the time to mark your calendars for May 5 – 8 in order not to miss this special Mother’s Day weekend celebration. Scroll down this page to see the many offerings and be sure to get your tickets early as this show is a sell-out every year.”

Update on Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 5:01PM by Lois

Not so familiar with Filoli?  Check this out.

Fabulous, Filoli!

Tough to top this 16-acre English Renaissance garden in the Bay Area's Back Yard.  Simply sensational this spring.  Visit their website to plan your trip.  The roses were not yet in bloom last week.  But, given the warm weather forecast, they soon will be.

Finally figuring out how to merge music with pictures.  Whew.  Big Breakthrough!  Still a long way to go. Love the learning process.  

Enjoy the virtual walk through Filoli's gardens.  And then schedule your very own visit!

Thanks, Anne, for the terrific tutorial!!!

Update on Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 7:52AM by Lois

Mother's Day, Maybe?

Mother's Day, maybe?

Regan's Nursery.  Definitely one of my top picks for roses as well as perennials, annuals, vines, fruiting trees, succulents...  

If you know/or are/a mom who loves to garden, this could be a perfect Sunday sort of outing for the fam. Bring a hat for sun protection and a car with enough trunk space to accommodate your purchases!  

Just over the Dumbarton Bridge from Palo Alto/Menlo Park.

4268 Decoto Road
Fremont, CA 94555-3204
(510) 797-3222

Unimaginable.

Staggering pictures from the south.

Relentless weather-related loss of life and property.  With May, on average, the most active season.

Mile-wide tornados.  

Entire neighborhoods removed from the map.  

Scores of people still missing. 

Businesses left unrecognizable. 

Difficult to process.  

Fueled by fear of Midwestern tornados, we headed for the basement on numerous occasions. But never, ever were there six hundred twisters heading our way.  This is inconceivable.

How do those of us, miles away/but so close via national news, help? 

Art in the garden

From Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, NC:

"The college is home to the 32-acre Sandhills Horticulture Gardens. Designed and maintained by students in the Landscape Gardening program, the site contains 14 themed gardens, including a whimsical children’s garden and a new Japanese Garden. The largest accessible holly collection on the east coast is found in the Ebersole Holly Garden. A formal English Garden exhibits several smaller gardens, including the Holly Maze, the Fountain Courtyard, the Sunken Garden, the Ceremonial Courtyard, and the Herb Garden."

We were fortunate to visit Sandhills during the Art in the Garden event which featured sculpture from all over North Carolina.  The exhibit is on display from March 24-May 25, 2011. 

A wonderful walk in the woods.  Particularly during the art exhibition.

Happy Easter

Happy Spring!

Happy Amazing Flowering World!

Happy Wild, Wonderful Life Around Us!

Spring in the South!

A spectacular day with terrific friends. 

It was the Annual House and Garden Tour in Pinehurst, North Carolina/with a few other photos from gardens that we visited in this beautiful part of our country.  

What could be better? 

Not much. 

Thank you, dear Joan.

The power of words

Thanks, Karen.

Twister territory

We were having far too much fun to do anything as mundane as watching the news or listening to the weather report when we headed out into Pottery Country near Raleigh, North Carolina this past Friday.  Little did we know that we would also be in the Heart of Tornado Territory.

And while we were lucky enough not to encounter any of the eighty or more twisters, others were not as fortunate.  I simply cannot imagine. 

Not an easy transition from death/devastation/destruction to Our Extraordinarily Wonderful Day. 

Our time together enjoying a “LIFE SIMPLY COULD NOT BE BETTER” drive through the countryside with fantastic friends singing and laughing while others were fighting for their lives just a few miles away is beyond comprehension.  

It's hard to wrap my mind around the two.  So close, so incredibly far apart.

So I think I’ll save our far-more-happy-time-together Pottery Slide Show for tomorrow. 

A fresh start of sorts. 

I’ll feel better about that.

New twist on old scam

I'm sure that all of you have received one or more of the following emails.  But just in case you haven't, a hotel contact is the latest addition.  Very creepy.

"I'm sorry for this sudden request.  It's because things actually got out of control.  I'm in Madrid, Spain.  I came here for a conference and I was mugged.  All my belongings including cell phone and credit card were all stolen at "GUN POINT." It's such a traumatic experience for me.
 
I need your help flying back home as I am trying to raise some money.  I've  contacted my bank but the best they could do was to send me a new card in the mail which will take 2-4 working days to arrive here.  I need you to lend me some money to sort my self out of this predicament.  I will pay back once I get this over with because I need to make a last minute flight.
 
Western Union or Money Gram is the fastest option to wire funds to me.  Let me know if you need my details (full names/location) to effect a transfer. You can reach me via hotel's desk phone.  The number is +34 981600916891.
 
Waiting to hear from you,

(a friend you know whose email list has been compromised)"

Whimsy Gone Wild

Anyone who has ever held a baby knows their attraction to and fascination with jewelry. As well as their interest in putting everything in their mouth.  

Why not capitalize on this ever-present attraction by making your own OH SO LOVELY, ABSOLUTELY SAFE, TOTALLY BABY PROOF necklace? 

Guaranteed for hours/OK, MINUTES, maybe/of fun for all.  You may find, as I have, that others find it pretty entertaining as well.  Depending on where you go.

I limited today's creativity to necklace not earrings.  I'm not that crazy.  Close, but not there yet.  I like my lobes.

Update on Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 5:55AM by Lois

this is Hilarious!!!!   i imagine everybody on the block is wanting to copy you.  i agree that earrings might  be a bit....over the top.  how about a belly piercing?????  y'know, for the beach?

Moth-eaten but marvelous

Time for something fun, don't you think?  I definitely do. 

Several weeks ago I promised pictures of moth-munched scarves that I had transformed into something pretty terrific.  A one-of-a-kind accessory.

The inspiration came from the ingenious Indian artisans who gave new life to old saris by crafting them into the scarf/skirts I've been wearing for the past year and a half.  Rather than tossing worn out pieces, they simply add a patch. Brilliant. And far more fun.

I, too, apparently thought this was a creative/colorful/cost-effective addition when we were first married.

Fast forward to 2011:  Using scraps from a reupholstered bench, I carefully cut around the embroidery and stitched it in place over the holes.  I also purchased remnants at the fabric store for the inevitable other moth eaten projects. If you have a decorator friend, he/she may have access to odds and ends for this use. 

If you know any moths who are looking for a meal, you now know where to send them!

 

Do you think the fall had an any effect on my brain?  Don't answer.

I'm liking my new view of the world around me.

Pushing past pain

I'm in the process of posting as many blogs as I can dream up in order to push that horrible face off my/your computer screen. OMGosh.  

Thanks to everyone who shared their condolences/stories/thoughts/wishes. You are darling.  Thank you.

See follow up comments under previous blog.

And don't miss upcoming blogs/I think you'll enjoy them much more than the previous one!

Creative colors for Easter

With Easter coming, it’s only appropriate that I’d take a Bad Hop, right?

No, nothing as exciting as a bar room brawl.  Or cosmetic surgery.  Certainly not spousal abuse. 

Simply a misstep while running with a jog-style stroller.  I skidded to a stop on knuckles and nose while holding handle upright.  Nice.  Obviously, Most Important In My Mind, passenger was safe and sound. GEEZ, Lois.

While out in the world the past few days, I was able to experience A HINT OF THE HUMILIATION one must feel in an abusive relationship.  OMGosh, I cannot imagine.  Not surprisingly, the following email arrived just days before my spill. Please watch video.

Dear Friends and Supporters,

As many of you may know, we have been working diligently for the past several years on a feature-length documentary film entitled Battered Women Who Kill.  This film follows 5 women incarcerated for killing their abusive partners, and the efforts made by a group of lawyers working to secure their release from prison.

After two years of filming, we’ve reached a very exciting stage. We have nearly completed production, and are about to begin the editing process.  After an extensive search, we’ve found an experienced documentary editor that we feel is perfect for the film.  However, in order to move forward with this next phase, we must begin a new round of fundraising.  We are hoping to reach our goal by May, and would love your support.  All donations made are fully tax-deductible, and ANY amount is so greatly appreciated.

We have recently updated our website with a new trailer, film clips, photos and mission statement.  You may make a donation through the website by clicking on any “DONATE NOW” links.

www.batteredwomenwhokill.com

Thank you again for all of your time and support.  We couldn’t do it without you!

Best,

Elizabeth Rohrbaugh, Lindsay Nowak and Jerelyn Orlandi

LESSONS LEARNED BY LOIS:

• For inflammation, try Traumeel, an anti-inflammatory, analgesic topical cream.  There’s also a homeopathic remedy by the same name for muscular pain, joint pain, sports injuries, bruising.  I’m going with “sports injury” and calling it a day.  Both available at Whole Foods.  Consider using Arnica, at least initially.
• No more “grip the ground” shoes with sticky soles when pushing something like a stroller or holding on to anything else important.  Rather, “slide across the pavement” ones specifically designed for walking, jogging, sprinting.
• Surgery-specific cosmetics are available but I found a combopack at Sephora that quasi-camouflages the purple.

This may become the first in a series, aptly entitled, “My life is a joke.”

Four days after initial crazy series of events:  

Stay tuned.

Never, ever do this, OK?  

Promise?  

Good.

Update on Monday, April 11, 2011 at 9:52AM by Lois

Good grief!!!  How awful!  It could happen to any of us :(. I'm glad you are on the mend and, as always, have the courage to share your experience (s) with your friends.  You're the best!  Speedy mending!

Update on Monday, April 11, 2011 at 1:06PM by Lois

Kudos to you for not being vain and sharing your story. Unattractive pictures, but amazing to see the difference. And even better to get the tips. So glad that you didn't break your nose. By Thursday, you will probably be pretty good with a touch of makeup. And, yes, I promise never to do this although both my sister and my mother did face plants and looked like you did.  My sister fell off her bike, and Mom tripped in a parking lot on the cement parking stoppers. 

Update on Monday, April 11, 2011 at 1:07PM by Lois

You are priceless!  I love the blog!

Update on Monday, April 11, 2011 at 1:08PM by Lois

I am going to bring a picture of my mother when she fell at my house one time.  I went out, met the ambulance and police officers, and told them:  I THINK I KILLED MY MOTHER.  Not a good thing to say to the police.

Update on Monday, April 11, 2011 at 1:10PM by Lois

Just watched the video. That was powerful.  Only you can have an experience like your fall and turn it into a lesson for all.  Thanks for putting yourself out there.

I probably would have had a tee shirt printed stating that I did not just have my eyes done!   Falls are scary. My last one was waking Herbie on an icy sidewalk and landed on my back and head.

Update on Monday, April 11, 2011 at 1:34PM by Lois

OMG … what an experience …You are the second friend to take a tumble while out walking or jogging … I’ve certainly seen you looking better.

Falls at any age are not a good thing.  Don’t know how to prevent them other than being as attentive to conditions as possible.  My friend also got suspicious looks or comments like “… by your spouse?” … Interesting. 

I also noticed while at Stanford, within the hospital pre-operating and examination rooms, signs with messages to the effect, “… is someone mistreating you? … “  Glad folks are taking abuse seriously, but it does make for “defense of husband” replies for situations like yours.

Take care and hope the purple is on the way out!

Happy Easter …

Update on Monday, April 11, 2011 at 3:13PM by Lois

OMG is right.  What a terrible accident!  You are my role model, however, with the courage to post photos of the bruising on your face.  Besides the judgmental glances from strangers, it must be terribly uncomfortable and painful.

Yes, I'm hobbling around with a walking boot and you are applying theatrical-grade makeup.  

Love, Peace and a big hug,

Update on Monday, April 11, 2011 at 5:52PM by Lois

I just finished watching the video re spousal abuse – I had chills all over and tears in my eyes from hearing the stories of these poor women.  The practice of imprisoning them for such ridiculously long terms has simply got to CHANGE!!  I can see them having to do some time in prison for murder, but absolutely not as much time as many of them have been given.  It’s just astonishing how one-sided the whole thing is.  In my mind, those women were heroines for ending the lives of those horrible men and removing them from society!!!

Not to be believed!

Unbelievable! 

Thanks, Anne!!!